Paul Arriola, who is currently on loan as a forward for Swansea City, recently expressed regret for past “offensive” tweets that resurfaced on social media from 2012.
The 26-year-old Arriola published a statement apologizing for his previous posts. “After seeing old tweets from my personal account from my teenage years in 2012 reappear on Twitter, I feel compelled to address them. Even though they have not received much attention, I want to take responsibility for them.
“I am deeply sorry for using offensive and discriminatory language in those tweets, a behavior that was unacceptable then and continues to be so now. I want to emphasize that I have evolved and learned from that time in my life. Those tweets did not reflect who I was as a person then, and certainly not now.”
He went on to say, “As a professional athlete and a role model for many young soccer players and fans, I understand the responsibility I have. I want to make it clear that I will never use language like that again.”
Swansea City also released a statement saying they “strongly oppose any kind of discriminatory conduct from any individual associated with the club.” They added, “Paul has committed to engaging in training to address unconscious and conscious biases, which he will complete upon his return to DC United.”
